Intel ISEF categories and subcategories

The categories listed below are those that will be used at the Intel ISEF 2015. They are new for 2015 and are both an expansion and reorganization of categories that will better align judge expertise with the more than 1,300 projects at Intel ISEF.

Local, regional, state and country fairs may or may not choose to use these new categories, dependent on the needs of their area. Please check with your affiliated fair(s) for the appropriate category listings at that level of competition.

Category Selection Advisement:

Many projects could easily fit into more than one Intel ISEF category. We highly recommend that you review the entire listing of the new categories before choosing the category that most accurately describes your project.

You don’t need to compete in the same category as in your regional or state competition. Furthermore, most regional and state competitions do not use sub-categories. We attempt to match judges to projects first at the sub-category level and then at the category level as best as possible, so the selection of a sub-category should also be given consideration. “Other” as a sub-category most often will match the project with a wide range of judges across the category.

Ask yourself the following questions to help in the selection of a category:

Who will be the most qualified to judge my project? What area of expertise is the most important for the judge to have? (For example, a medical background or an engineering background?)

What is the emphasis of my project? What characteristic of my project is the most innovative, unique or important? (For example, is it the application in medicine or the engineering of the machine? Is it inserting the proper gene or the method of computer mapping to demonstrate the results?)

ANIMAL SCIENCES (Code: ANIM)

This category includes all aspects of animals and animal life, animal life cycles, and animal interactions with one another or with their environment. Examples of investigations included in this category would involve the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals, animal ecology, animal husbandry, entomology, ichthyology, ornithology, and herpetology, as well as the study of animals at the cellular and molecular level which would include cytology, histology, and cellular physiology.

Subcategories:

Animal Behavior (BEH): The study of animal activities which includes investigating animal interactions within and between species or an animal’s response to environmental factors. Examples are animal communication, learning, and intelligence, rhythmic functions, sensory preferences, pheromones, and environmental effects on behaviors, both naturally and experimentally induced.

Cellular Studies (CEL): The study of animal cells involving the use of microscopy to study cell structure and studies investigating activity within cells such as enzyme pathways, cellular biochemistry, and synthesis pathways for DNA, RNA, and protein.

Development (DEV): The study of an organism from the time of fertilization through birth or hatching and into later life. This includes cellular and molecular aspects of fertilization, development, regeneration, and environmental effects on development.

Ecology (ECO): The study of interactions and behavioral relationships among animals, and animals and plants, with their environment and with one another.

Genetics (GEN): The study of species and population genetics at the organismal or cellular level.

Nutrition and Growth (NTR): The study of natural, artificial, or maternal nutrients on animal growth, development, and reproduction including the use and effects of biological and chemical control agents to control reproduction and population numbers.

Physiology (PHY): The study of one of the 11 animal systems. This includes structural and functional studies, system mechanics, and the effect of environmental factors or natural variations on the structure or function of a system. Similar studies conducted specifically at the cellular level should select the cellular studies subcategory.

Systematics and Evolution (SYS): The study of animal classification and phylogenetic methods including the evolutionary relationships between species and populations. This includes morphological, biochemical, genetic, and modeled systems to describe the relationship of animals to one another.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

Subcategories:

Clinical and Developmental Psychology (CLN): The study and treatment of emotional or behavioral disorders. Developmental psychology is concerned with the study of progressive behavioral changes in an individual from birth until death.

Cognitive Psychology (COG): The study of cognition, the mental processes that underlie behavior, including thinking, deciding, reasoning, and to some extent motivation and emotion. Neuro-psychology studies the relationship between the nervous system, especially the brain, and cerebral or mental functions such as language, memory, and perception.

Physiological Psychology (PHY): The study of the biological and physiological basis of behavior.

Sociology and Social Psychology (SOC): The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society. Sociology is concerned with all group activities-economic, social, political, and religious.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

BIOCHEMISTRY (Code: BCHM)

The study of the chemical basis of processes occurring in living organisms, including the processes by which these substances enter into, or are formed in, the organisms and react with each other and the environment.

BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES (Code: BMED)

This category focuses on studies specifically designed to address issues of human health and disease. It includes studies on the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or epidemiology of disease and other damage to the human body or mental systems. Includes studies of normal functioning and may investigate internal as well as external factors such as feedback mechanisms, stress or environmental impact on human health and disease.

Subcategories:

Disease Diagnosis

Disease Treatment

Drug Development and TestingEpidemiology

NutritionPhysiology and PathologyOther

Disease Diagnosis (DIS): The systematic examination, identification, and determination of disorders and disease through examination at the whole body or cellular levels.

Disease Treatment (TRE): The use of pharmaceuticals and other therapies, including natural and holistic remedies, intended to improve symptoms and treat or cure disorders or disease.

Drug Development and Testing (DRU): The study and testing of new chemical therapies intended to improve symptoms and treat or cure disorders and disease. This testing could include any platform from tissue culture to preclinical animal models. This will include establishing a drug’s safety profile and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Epidemiology (EPI): The study of disease frequency and distribution, and risk factors and socioeconomic determinants of health within populations. Epidemiologic investigations may include gathering information to confirm existence of disease outbreaks, developing case definitions and analyzing epidemic data, establishing disease surveillance, and implementing methods of disease prevention and control.

Nutrition (NTR): The study of food, nutrients and dietary need in humans, and the effects of food and nourishment on the body. These studies may include the effects of natural or supplemental nutrients and nutrition.

Physiology and Pathology (PHY): The science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of normal human tissues, organs, and body systems; and the study of disease-related tissue and organ dysfunction. Pathophysiology is the study of the conditions leading up to a diseased state and includes an investigation of the disturbance responsible for causing the disease.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (Code: CELL)

This is an interdisciplinary field that studies the structure, function, intracellular pathways, and formation of cells. Studies involve understanding life and cellular processes specifically at the molecular level.

Subcategories:

Cell Physiology

Genetics

Immunology Molecular Biology

Neurobiology Other

Cell Physiology (PHY): The study of the cell cycle, cell function, and interactions between cells or between cells and their environment.

Genetics (GEN): The study of molecular genetics focusing on the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.

Immunology (IMM): The study of the structure and function of the immune system at the cellular level. This includes investigations of innate and acquired (adaptive) immunity, the cellular communication pathways involved in immunity, cellular recognition, graft vs host and host vs graft disease, and interactions between antigens and antibodies.

Molecular Biology (MOL): The study of biology at the molecular level. Chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationships of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated, such as during transcription and translation, the significance of introns and exons or coding issues.

Neurobiology (NEU): The study of the structure and function of the nervous system at the cellular or molecular level.

OTHOther (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

CHEMISTRY (Code: CHEM)

Studies exploring the science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter not involving biochemical systems.

Subcategories:

Analytical Chemistry

Computational Chemistry

Environmental Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry

Materials Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physical Chemistry Other

Analytical Chemistry (ANC): The study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of materials.

Computational Chemistry (COM): A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to solve large and complex problems in Chemistry.

Environmental Chemistry (ENV): The study of chemical species in the natural environment, including the effects of human activities, such as the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.

Inorganic Chemistry (INO): The study of the properties and reactions of inorganic and organometallic compounds.

Materials Chemistry (MAT): The chemical study of the design, synthesis and properties of substances, including condensed phases (solids, liquids, polymers) and interfaces, with a useful or potentially useful function, such as catalysis or solar energy.

ORG Organic Chemistry (ORG): The study of carbon-containing compounds, including hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS (Code: CBIO)

Studies that primarily focus on the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics as they relate to biological systems. This includes the development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavior, and social systems.

Subcategories:

Biomedical Engineering

Computational Biomodeling

Computational Evolutionary Biology

Computational Neuroscience

Computational Pharmacology

Genomics

Other

Biomedical Engineering (BME): The application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes.

Computational Biomodeling (MOD): Studies that involve computer simulations of biological systems most commonly with a goal of understanding how cells or organism develop, work collectively and survive.

Computational Evolutionary Biology (EVO): A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to explore the processes of change in populations of organisms, especially taxonomy, paleontology, ethology, population genetics and ecology.

Computational Neuroscience (NEU): A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to understand brain function in terms of the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system.

Computational Pharmacology (PHA): A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to predict and analyze the responses to drugs.

Genomics (GEN): The study of the function and structure of genomes using recombinant DNA, sequencing, and bioinformatics.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Code: EAEV)

Studies of the environment and its effect on organisms/systems, including investigations of biological processes such as growth and life span, as well as studies of Earth systems and their evolution.

Subcategories:

Atmospheric Science

Climate Science

Environmental Effects on Ecosystems

Geosciences

Water Science

Other

Atmospheric Science (AIR): Studies of the earth’s atmosphere, including air quality and pollution and the processes and effects of the atmosphere on other Earth systems as well as meteorological investigations.

ENGINEERING MECHANICS (Code: ENMC)

Studies that focus on the science and engineering that involve movement or structure. The movement can be by the apparatus or the movement can affect the apparatus.

Subcategories:

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computational Mechanics

Control Theory

Ground Vehicle Systems

Industrial Engineering-ProcessingMechanical Engineering

Naval Systems

Other

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering (AER): Studies involving the design of aircraft and space vehicles and the direction of the technical phases of their manufacture and operation.

Civil Engineering (CIV): Studies that involve the planning, designing, construction, and maintenance of structures and public works, such as bridges or dams, roads, water supply, sewer, flood control and, traffic.

Computational Mechanics (COM): A study that applies the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics to solve large and complex problems in Engineering Mechanics.

Control Theory (CON): The study of dynamical systems, including controllers, systems, and sensors that are influenced by inputs.

Ground Vehicle Systems (VEH): The design of ground vehicles and the direction of the technical phases of their manufacture and operation.

Industrial Engineering-Processing (IND): Studies of efficient production of industrial goods as affected by elements such as plant and procedural design, the management of materials and energy, and the integration of workers within the overall system. The industrial engineer designs methods, not machinery.

Mechanical Engineering (MEC): Studies that involve the generation and application of heat and mechanical power and the design, production, and use of machines and tools.

Naval Systems (NAV): Studies of the design of ships and the direction of the technical phases of their manufacture and operation.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (Code: ENEV)

Studies that engineer or develop processes and infrastructure to solve environmental problems in the supply of water, the disposal of waste, or the control of pollution.

Subcategories:

Bioremediation

Land Reclamation

Pollution Control

Recycling and Waste Management

Water Resources Management Other

Bioremediation (BIR): The use of biological agents, such as bacteria or plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants. This includes phytoremediation, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, biodegradation, etc.

Land Reclamation (ENG): The application of engineering principles and design techniques to restore land to a more productive use or its previous undisturbed state.

Pollution Control (PLL): The application of engineering principles and design techniques to remove pollution from air, soil, and/or water.

Recycling and Waste Management (REC): The extraction and reuse of useful substances from discarded items, garbage, or waste. The process of managing, and disposing of, wastes and hazardous substances through methodologies such as landfills, sewage treatment, composting, waste reduction, etc.

Water Resources Management (WAT): The application of engineering principles and design techniques to improve the distribution and management of water resources.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

MATERIALS SCIENCE (Code: MATS)

The study of the characteristics and uses of various materials with improvements to their design which may add to their advanced engineering performance.

Subcategories:

Biomaterials

Ceramic and Glasses

Composite Materials

Computation and Theory

Electronic, Optical, and Magnetic Materials

Nano Materials

Polymers

Other

Biomaterials (BIM): Studies involving any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. Such materials are often used and/or adapted for a medical application, and thus comprise whole or part of a living structure or biomedical device which performs, augments, or replaces a natural function.

Ceramic and Glasses (CER): Studies involving materials composed of ceramic and glass – often defined as all solid materials except metals and their alloys that are made by the high-temperature processing of inorganic raw materials.

Composite Materials (CMP): Studies involving materials composed of two or more different materials combined together to create a superior and unique material.

COM Computation and Theory (COM): Studies that involve the theory and modeling of materials.

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials (ELE): The study and development of materials used to form highly complex systems, such as integrated electronic circuits, optoelectronic devices, and magnetic and optical mass storage media. The various materials, with precisely controlled properties, perform numerous functions, including the acquisition, processing, transmission, storage, and display of information.

Nanomaterials (NAN): The study and development of nanoscale materials; materials with structural features (particle size or grain size, for example) of at least one dimension in the range 1-100 nm.

Polymers (POL): The study and development of polymers; materials that have a molecular structure consisting chiefly or entirely of a large number of similar units bonded together, e.g., many synthetic organic materials used as plastics and resins.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

MATHEMATICS (Code: MATH)

The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. The deductive study of numbers, geometry, and various abstract constructs, or structures.

Subcategories:

Algebra Analysis

Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Game Theory Geometry and Topology

Number Theory Probability and Statistics Other

Algebra (ALB): The study of algebraic operations and/or relations and the structures which arise from them. An example is given by (systems of) equations which involve polynomial functions of one or more variables.

Analysis (ANL): The study of infinitesimal processes in mathematics, typically involving the concept of a limit. This begins with differential and integral calculus, for functions of one or several variables, and includes differential equations.

Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Game Theory (CGG): The study of combinatorial structures in mathematics, such as finite sets, graphs, and games, often with a view toward classification and/or enumeration.

Geometry and Topology (GEO): The study of the shape, size, and other properties of figures and spaces. Includes such subjects as Euclidean geometry, non-Euclidean geometries (spherical, hyperbolic, Riemannian, Lorentzian), and knot theory (classification of knots in 3-space).

Number Theory (NUM): The study of the arithmetic properties of integers and related topics such as cryptography.

Probability and Statistics (PRO): Mathematical study of random phenomena and the study of statistical tools used to analyze and interpret data.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (AMO): The study of atoms, simple molecules, electrons and light, and their interactions.

Astronomy and Cosmology (AST): The study of space, the universe as a whole, including its origins and evolution, the physical properties of objects in space and computational astronomy.

Biological Physics (BIP): The study of the physics of biological processes.

Computational Physics (COM): The study of the physics of biological processes.

Condensed Matter and Materials (MAT): The study of the properties of solids and liquids. Topics such as superconductivity, semi-conductors, complex fluids, and thin films are studied.

Instrumentation (INS): Instrumentation is the process of developing means of precise measurement of various variables such as flow and pressure while maintaining control of the variables at desired levels of safety and economy.

Magnetics, Electromagnetics and Plasmas (MAG): The study of electrical and magnetic fields and of matter in the plasma phase and their effects on materials in the solid, liquid or gaseous states.

Mechanics (MEC): Classical physics and mechanics, including the macroscopic study of forces, vibrations and flows; on solid, liquid and gaseous materials.

Nuclear and Particle Physics (NUC): The study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus and of fundamental particles and the forces of their interaction.

Optics, Lasers, Masers (OPT): The study of the physical properties of light, lasers and masers.

Quantum Computation (QUA): The study of the laws of quantum mechanics to process information. This includes studies involving the physics of information processing, quantum logic, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, and quantum communication.

Theoretical Physics (THE): The study of nature, phenomena and the laws of physics employing mathematical models and abstractions rather than experimental processes.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

PLANT SCIENCES (Code: PLNT)

Studies of plants and how they live, including structure, physiology, development, and classification. Includes plant cultivation, development, ecology, genetics and plant breeding, pathology, physiology, systematics and evolution.

Subcategories:

Agronomy Growth and Development Ecology Genetics/Breeding PathologyPhysiology Systematics and Evolution Other

Agronomy (AGR): Application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management and agricultural and horticultural crop production. Includes biological and chemical controls of pests, hydroponics, fertilizers and supplements.

Growth and Development (DEV): The study of a plant from earliest stages through germination and into later life. This includes cellular and molecular aspects of development and environmental effects, natural or manmade, on development and growth.

Ecology (ECO): The study of interactions and relationships among plants, and plants and animals, with their environment.

Genetics/Breeding (GEN): The study of organismic and population genetics of plants. The application of plant genetics and biotechnology to crop improvement. This includes genetically modified crops.

Pathology (PAT): The study of plant disease states, and their causes, processes, and consequences. This includes effects of parasites or disease-causing microbes.

Physiology (PHY): The study of functions in plants and plant cells. This includes cellular mechanisms such as photosynthesis and transpiration, and how plant processes are affected by environmental factors or natural variations.

Systematics and Evolution (SYS): The study of classification of organisms and their evolutionary relationships. This includes morphological, biochemical, genetic, and modeled systems.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

ROBOTICS AND INTELLIGENT MACHINES (Code: ROBO)

Studies in which the use of machine intelligence is paramount to reducing the reliance on human intervention.

Subcategories:

Biomechanics

Cognitive Systems

Control Theory

Robot Kinematics

Machine Learning

Other

Biomechanics (BIE): Studies and apparatus which mimic the role of mechanics in biological systems.

Cognitive Systems (COG): Studies/apparatus that operate similarly to the ways humans think and process information. Systems that provide for increased interaction of people and machines to more naturally extend and magnify human expertise, activity, and cognition.

Control Theory (CON): Studies that explore the behavior of dynamical systems with inputs, and how their behavior is modified by feedback. This includes new theoretical results and the applications of new and established control methods, system modelling, identification and simulation, the analysis and design of control systems (including computer-aided design), and practical implementation.

Robot Kinematics (KIN): The study of movement in robotic systems.

Machine Learning (MAC): Construction and/or study of algorithms that can learn from data.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.

SYSTEMS SOFTWARE (Code: SOFT)

The study or development of software, information processes or methodologies to demonstrate, analyze, or control a process/solution.

Subcategories:

Algorithms

Cybersecurity

Databases

Programming Languages

Operating SystemsOther

Algorithms (ALG): The study or creation of algorithms - step-by-step procedure of calculations to complete a specific task in data processing, automated reasoning and computing.

Cybersecurity (CYB): Studies involving the protection of a computer or computer system against unauthorized access or attacks. This can include studies involving hardware, network, software, host or multimedia security.

Databases (DAT): Studies that create or analyze data organization for ease of access, management and update.

Operating Systems (SYS): The study of system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations of a computer or mobile device.

Programming Languages (PRG): Studies that involve the development or analysis of the artificial languages used to write instructions that can be translated into machine language and then executed by a computer.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories.